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Local Broadcasting

Asked by Matt VickersConservativeDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled Answered 26 June 2026UIN 12396

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate has been made of the annual value of Local Democracy Reporting Service funding received by Reach plc and its subsidiaries.

Answered by Ian Murray

The BBC has an important role to play in supporting the plurality of local news services in the UK.

The BBC is operationally independent of the government and the process for determining and allocating its budgets and external payments of the Local Democracy Reporting Service is therefore a matter for the BBC itself.

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